Limbs you cut yourself can go out with the city's bulky waste if they are 10 feet or shorter. Wood cut by a company you hire cannot: the bulky waste page says "Landscape waste from contractors must be hauled off by the landscaper, including bagged waste." So put haul-off in the written quote. We are not the city, and these rules apply to Oklahoma City trash customers.
Regular bulky waste
All of this is from the city's bulky waste page.
- Pickup starts the first Monday of each month and runs weekly, on an assigned date. The page says to find yours on the MyTrashDay map, in your okcutilities.com account or on your paper water bill. Questions go to the Customer Care Center at (405) 297-2833.
- Set it out before 6 a.m. on your assigned day, and no more than three days ahead.
- "Cut all tree limbs down to lengths of 10-feet or shorter." Small trees count too.
- Pile it loose at the curb with 5 feet of clearance on all sides, away from trees, power lines, mailboxes, fences, gas meters, vehicles, sidewalks and water meter vaults.
- Nothing in the street or driveway, and no bags. Bagged landscape waste goes in the cart or to a free landfill day.
- The first four cubic yards are part of your monthly fees. Past that, the pile is tagged and billed, and above 10 cubic yards you have to call to approve the charges. The city can tell you the fee.
- If it gets missed, report it within two business days after your window ends, or you may wait until next month.
The page gives no limit on how thick a limb can be. If you have trunk rounds, ask before you drag them out.
After a storm
The city's storm debris page sorts storms by size. For smaller ones it says it "will typically provide debris collection during our regular bulky waste collection schedule". For larger ones it may bring in a private contractor, and for extremely large storms with a declared state emergency, FEMA-certified crews. What counts depends on the storm and on a map, and these past announcements show how much it varies:
| Storm | What the city did |
|---|---|
| October 2020 ice storm | Debris passes, the first from November 16, 2020. In February 2021 contractors were still cutting limbs two inches or thicker hanging over public rights-of-way. |
| October 13 and 15, 2021 | Collection by area, such as Council Road to Santa Fe Avenue between Reno Avenue and North 36th Street. Limbs had to be 10 feet or shorter and kept apart from regular bulky trash. |
| November 3, 2024 tornadoes | A special collection in mapped areas of southeast OKC. The first announcement said only tree limbs, branches and wooden fencing would qualify, and that mixed piles would stay. "Debris placed at the curb by private contractors will not be collected by City crews." |
| July 4, 2026 | The city mapped about 24 square miles, scattered, including far north OKC along Air Depot Boulevard and far southeast OKC along 164th Street. Inside the mapped areas, debris went out on the next July bulky day, with no fine for early setout and no excess fee for a large storm pile. |
Read that last line closely if you are outside the map. The relief on fees applied to the mapped areas, and the storm debris page says June 22 and July 4 storm debris qualified only in the green neighborhoods. Look up your address on the current map before you build a big pile, or call the number on that page, (405) 297-2833.
Two habits come up again and again in these announcements. Keep storm debris apart from furniture, carpet and appliances, because a mixed pile can cost you excess fees or get left. And keep it out from under trees and overhead lines.
Who does not qualify
The city says businesses, churches, schools, nonprofits and other organizations "are not eligible for curbside pickup by the City" for storm debris. Its November 2024 notice named homeowner associations as well. Those groups arrange their own hauling.
What OG&E leaves behind
If OG&E crews cut a tree off the lines after a storm, its after-an-outage page says: "Following an act of nature, OG&E will haul debris to the curb", and from there the tree debris is yours to dispose of. Check the storm debris page for how the city is handling that storm. After routine trimming it is different, and OG&E says it disposes of the debris itself. If the line company on your bill is not OG&E, ask them.
Free landfill days
The city offers two a year, typically in May and September. In 2026 they were May 2 and September 12. They are for residential trash customers with an active OKC Utilities account, and people outside the city limits or in apartment complexes do not qualify. The page lists "Bagged leaves and landscape waste" and does not mention limbs, stumps or brush, so confirm before you load the truck.
Wood you should not move
OSU's pine wilt advice says not to move infested pine, because the nematode and beetles travel with it. If a pine died fast, read the dying trees page before that wood goes anywhere, and ask the company where it plans to take it.
Outside Oklahoma City
These rules are for City of Oklahoma City trash customers. If you live in Nichols Hills, The Village, Warr Acres or another city in the metro, your own city or hauler sets them.
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Sources
- City of Oklahoma City, Bulky Waste
- City of Oklahoma City, Storm Debris Collection
- City of Oklahoma City, Storm debris pick-up nearing completion (February 9, 2021)
- City of Oklahoma City, Debris collection underway for October 13 storm (October 21, 2021)
- City of Oklahoma City, Utilities Department responds to Nov. 3 storms (November 2024)
- City of Oklahoma City, OKC expands tornado cleanup plans for SE OKC property owners (November 11, 2024)
- City of Oklahoma City, July 4 storm debris to be collected on regular bulky waste schedule (July 8, 2026)
- OG&E, After an Outage
- City of Oklahoma City, Free Landfill Day
- Oklahoma State University, Pine Wilt Update, Plant Disease and Insect Advisory (June 30, 2010; PDF on the state forestry site)
Read on 2026-11-05. External pages can change.